Google I/O 2025: What It Means for Digital Marketing (And Your Strategy)

This year’s Google I/O 2025 conference, paired with key takeaways from Google Marketing Live, sent a crystal-clear message: AI is no longer just a buzzword; it’s becoming the backbone of the online experience.

From AI-powered search changes to real-time, multimodal capabilities, the announcements will impact every corner of digital marketing, especially if you run paid ads, rely on SEO, or build brand visibility through content and social media.

Here’s what our team at Thundr Digital took away from this year’s event and what it means for your marketing strategy.

AI Overviews and AI Mode: Say Hello to the New SERP

Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are shifting how people interact with search results. Instead of users clicking on ten blue links, AI now generates summaries pulled from multiple sources right at the top of the page.

AI Mode adds a conversational layer to this. Users can ask follow-up questions and receive personalised, in-depth answers within the search engine itself.

What this means for your business: Your content needs to go beyond surface-level optimisation. It must be detailed, trustworthy, and structured in a way that helps Google understand and feature your information.

At Thundr, we’re helping clients create layered content strategies that answer long-tail, intent-driven queries key for visibility in this new zero-click landscape. If you’re working with an Edinburgh SEO company, this shift makes content strategy even more essential.

Deep Search and Query Fan-Out: Smarter, Broader Interpretation

Google’s AI is now utilising Deep Search and Query Fan-Out to break down complex queries into related subtopics, pulling information from a wider range of sources than ever before.

This prompts digital marketers to shift away from single-keyword targeting and toward semantic SEO encompassing topics comprehensively, linking between relevant pages, and establishing authority through context.

We’re already applying these strategies in our SEO campaigns, combining deep blog content, robust internal linking, and structured data to future-proof websites in a rapidly evolving search environment.

Multimodal and Real-Time Search: More Than Just Text

Multimodal search lets users combine inputs – think voice, image, and text – all in one query. Meanwhile, real-time updates mean search results will reflect what’s happening now, not last week.

This has big implications for:

• Visual-first platforms like Meta Ads (think scroll-stopping creative)

• Search ads, where relevancy and real-time targeting are key

• Content marketing, which needs to respond to what your audience is searching for today, not last year

We’re encouraging our clients to integrate more branded video, strong visual assets, and UGC-style content across both paid and organic platforms. As a PPC agency in Edinburgh, we also see huge potential in aligning Google Ads with real-time signals for even sharper results.

Agentic AI and Project Mariner: Search That Takes Action

Google’s vision for Agentic AI is bold: a search assistant that doesn’t just answer your question it performs tasks for you. This includes comparing products, booking travel, or completing transactions without leaving Google.

This could reduce traditional website traffic but increase the importance of:

• Google Merchant Centre setups

• Flawless schema and structured data

• Product feed quality

• Technical SEO

For eCommerce and service-based businesses, this means optimising your presence within Google not just trying to drive users away from it. We’re working with clients to ensure their products and content are seamlessly embedded into this growing AI-powered interface.

Personalised Search: Hyper-Local, Behavioural Results

Search is becoming more personalised than ever. Google now considers:

• Location

• Search history

• Gmail content

• Calendar events

• YouTube watch history

This creates unique results per user, which is great for personalised marketing, but harder for traditional keyword tracking.

What it means for marketers:
Your entire digital ecosystem – your ads, SEO, emails, and socials – must be aligned, cohesive, and consistently branded. Our team uses integrated campaigns that carry a unified message across touchpoints, from Google Ads to your latest TikTok.

What Should You Do Now?

Here’s how we’re adapting client strategies post-Google I/O 2025:

1. Double down on quality content that answers layered queries.

2. Get your technical SEO in shape, especially schema and page speed.

3. Optimise for AI visibility in Merchant Centre and product feeds.

4. Invest in strong visuals across Meta Ads, your blog, and video content.

5. Connect platforms – Google Ads, Search Console, Analytics, Meta, and email tools to build a joined-up strategy.

6. Future-proof your campaigns with dynamic targeting, real-time adjustments, and cross-channel content plans.

Whether you’re running search campaigns, building brand awareness on social, or rolling out a new content strategy, this year’s updates show that digital marketing is entering a new phase—AI-powered, conversational, and deeply contextual.

Final Thoughts

At Thundr Digital, we’re not just watching the trends; we’re evolving with them. From semantic SEO to high-performing ad campaigns and automated email journeys, our team is helping clients across Edinburgh, Ashby, and beyond stay visible in an AI-driven world.

Need support aligning your strategy with the new AI-powered landscape? Get in touch with our Edinburgh SEO company or speak to our team about how your Google Ads, Meta campaigns, and email strategy can stay ahead of the curve.